Daniel Alaei is a professional poker player from Santa Fe Springs, California, but recently lives in Las Vegas. He was interested in the game ever since he was a teenager and at the age of 15 he started playing for the first time.
The thing he wants to achieve in poker is to be respected by the people he respects. And he is definitely working on it! In August, 2004 he finished 1st in Event#9 of the Legends of Poker World Poker Tour Season 3. Then he earned the prize of $34,875 and that was just the beginning. Later, in May 2005, he finished 1st in the Heavenly Hold ‘Em event, earning $133,615.
Before making his big entrance in the poker world, Daniel Alaei worked as a used sports car dealer. He got to know many kinds of people, traveling to shows to buy sports cars, so that he can resell them later. His first World Series of Poker bracelet was won in 2006 in a no-limit 2-7 draw Lowball event. Daniel Alaei also participated in the first two seasons of high stakes poker. In May 2006, he won the 1st place in Event#9 of the Caesars Las Vegas Poker Tournament – World Series of Poker Circuit and earned $42,591.
Daniel Alaei is a person who doesn’t like to play a disciplined game. Instead, he points out that he chooses his games according to situations and his opponents. .
He also finished 1st in Event#38 of the 37th Annual World Series of Poker, which took place in July, 2006. Then he got out with $430,698. So far, he has won a single World Series of Poker bracelet, in 2006, in a no-limit 2-7 draw Lowball event.
Being a good player demands to be a good person. Daniel Alaei’s hobbies are very different - reading books, learning new moves, exploring different ways to be a winner, so how can he not be a good player? In many interviews Daniel Alaei says his favorite games are No Limit and Pot Limit Hold’em, and no wonder – he is so good at them. Of course, he did have the advantage of living in close proximity to the casinos – that sure did help in making him the good player he is today.
Daniel Alaei has had many wins in small tournaments as well. For example he was 4th in the California State Poker Championship in 2005. Many people around the world can play poker. But only those who play with passion can really get to the point when they can be called real players. Daniel Alaei is a real player – on the poker table and in life. As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $1,500,000.
